AI Developer Certificate

For hiring managers

Reading AI certifications on a CV

A certification tells you what someone was tested on, on one day, in one format. This page helps you work out which day, which format and how much weight to give it.

Kinds of credential

Certification

An assessed exam, normally proctored with an identity check. Most are multiple choice, so they show knowledge and judgement more than the ability to build.

Microcredential

A short, narrow assessment, often a hands-on lab. It is good evidence of practical familiarity with one task, usually with weaker identity checks.

Course certificate

Awarded for finishing a course. It shows study, not assessed ability, whatever the name says. “Professional Certificate” is a product name.

Questions to ask

  1. How was it assessed? Multiple choice, case studies, or a practical task in a live environment?
  2. Was identity checked? A proctored exam confirms who sat it. An online lab or course usually does not.
  3. When was it earned? Several exams kept their name while the content changed. The earn date tells you which version was passed.
  4. Is it still valid, and can you check? Ask for the badge or transcript link rather than a PDF.
  5. What experience does it assume? A foundational exam can be passed through study alone.

What each credential signals

These ratings describe the credential, not the candidate. Retired credentials are included because they still appear on CVs. Select a name for the detail behind each rating.

What each credential signals to an employer
CredentialPractical assessmentIdentity assuranceDepthExperience expectedPortabilityVerifiability
AWS
AWS AI Practitioner Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Foundational (1 of 4)Experience expected: Under 6 months (1 of 4)Portability: Mixed (2 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
AWS ML Engineer Associate (MLA-C01) Retiring Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)Experience expected: About 1 year (2 of 4)Portability: Mixed (2 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
AWS ML Engineer Associate (MLA-C02) Beta Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)Experience expected: About 1 year (2 of 4)Portability: Mixed (2 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
AWS GenAI Developer Professional Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Professional (3 of 4)Experience expected: 2 to 3 years (3 of 4)Portability: Mixed (2 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
AWS ML Specialty Retired Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Specialty or expert (4 of 4)Experience expected: 2 to 3 years (3 of 4)Portability: Mostly transferable (3 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
AWS AI Business Strategist Beta Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Foundational (1 of 4)Experience expected: Under 6 months (1 of 4)Portability: Mostly transferable (3 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
AWS Agentic AI Demonstrated MicrocredentialPractical assessment: Performance-based labs or a practical build (4 of 4)Identity assurance: Minimal or undocumented checks (1 of 4)Depth: Foundational (1 of 4)Experience expected: Under 6 months (1 of 4)Portability: Mostly vendor-specific (1 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Microsoft and GitHub
Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-901) Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Foundational (1 of 4)Experience expected: Under 6 months (1 of 4)Portability: Mostly vendor-specific (1 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-900) Retired Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Foundational (1 of 4)Experience expected: None (0 of 4)Portability: Mixed (2 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Azure AI Engineer Associate (AI-102) Retired Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)Experience expected: About 1 year (2 of 4)Portability: Mostly vendor-specific (1 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Azure Data Scientist Associate (DP-100) Retired Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)Experience expected: About 1 year (2 of 4)Portability: Mixed (2 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer (AI-103) Practical assessment: Includes interactive, code or case-study items (3 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)Experience expected: About 1 year (2 of 4)Portability: Mixed (2 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Azure MLOps Engineer (AI-300) Practical assessment: Includes interactive, code or case-study items (3 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)Experience expected: About 1 year (2 of 4)Portability: Mixed (2 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Azure AI Cloud Developer (AI-200) Practical assessment: Includes interactive, code or case-study items (3 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)Experience expected: About 1 year (2 of 4)Portability: Mixed (2 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Microsoft AI Agent Builder (AB-620) Practical assessment: Includes interactive, code or case-study items (3 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)Experience expected: About 1 year (2 of 4)Portability: Mostly vendor-specific (1 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Microsoft Agentic AI Architect Expert (AB-100) Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Specialty or expert (4 of 4)Experience expected: 2 to 3 years (3 of 4)Portability: Mostly vendor-specific (1 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
M365 Copilot Administration (AB-900) Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Foundational (1 of 4)Experience expected: Under 6 months (1 of 4)Portability: Mostly vendor-specific (1 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Microsoft AI Business Professional (AB-730) Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Foundational (1 of 4)Experience expected: Under 6 months (1 of 4)Portability: Mostly vendor-specific (1 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Microsoft AI Transformation Leader (AB-731) Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Foundational (1 of 4)Experience expected: Under 6 months (1 of 4)Portability: Mixed (2 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
GitHub Copilot (GH-300) Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)Experience expected: Under 6 months (1 of 4)Portability: Mostly vendor-specific (1 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Applied Skills: Foundry agents MicrocredentialPractical assessment: Performance-based labs or a practical build (4 of 4)Identity assurance: Minimal or undocumented checks (1 of 4)Depth: Foundational (1 of 4)Experience expected: Under 6 months (1 of 4)Portability: Mostly vendor-specific (1 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Google
Google Generative AI Leader Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Foundational (1 of 4)Experience expected: None (0 of 4)Portability: Mixed (2 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Google Professional ML Engineer Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Professional (3 of 4)Experience expected: 2 to 3 years (3 of 4)Portability: Mixed (2 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Google Professional Agentic Architect Beta Practical assessment: Performance-based labs or a practical build (4 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Professional (3 of 4)Experience expected: 2 to 3 years (3 of 4)Portability: Mixed (2 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Google Professional Data Engineer Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Professional (3 of 4)Experience expected: 2 to 3 years (3 of 4)Portability: Mixed (2 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Google Associate Data Practitioner Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)Experience expected: Under 6 months (1 of 4)Portability: Mixed (2 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Google Cloud AI skill badges MicrocredentialPractical assessment: Performance-based labs or a practical build (4 of 4)Identity assurance: No identity check (0 of 4)Depth: Foundational (1 of 4)Experience expected: None (0 of 4)Portability: Mostly vendor-specific (1 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Google AI Professional Certificate Course certificatePractical assessment: Knowledge quiz, unproctored or open book (1 of 4)Identity assurance: No identity check (0 of 4)Depth: Foundational (1 of 4)Experience expected: None (0 of 4)Portability: Mixed (2 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Google AI Essentials Course certificatePractical assessment: Knowledge quiz, unproctored or open book (1 of 4)Identity assurance: No identity check (0 of 4)Depth: Foundational (1 of 4)Experience expected: None (0 of 4)Portability: Mostly transferable (3 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Gemini Certified Educator Practical assessment: Knowledge quiz, unproctored or open book (1 of 4)Identity assurance: Minimal or undocumented checks (1 of 4)Depth: Foundational (1 of 4)Experience expected: None (0 of 4)Portability: Mostly vendor-specific (1 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
TensorFlow Developer Certificate Retired Practical assessment: Performance-based labs or a practical build (4 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored, arrangements vary by provider (3 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)–Portability: Mixed (2 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
AI model and tool vendors
Claude Certified Developer Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)Experience expected: Under 6 months (1 of 4)Portability: Mostly vendor-specific (1 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Claude Certified Architect (Foundations) Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)Experience expected: Under 6 months (1 of 4)Portability: Mostly vendor-specific (1 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Claude Certified Architect (Professional) Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Professional (3 of 4)Experience expected: 2 to 3 years (3 of 4)Portability: Mostly vendor-specific (1 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Claude Certified Associate Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Foundational (1 of 4)Experience expected: None (0 of 4)Portability: Mostly vendor-specific (1 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Anthropic Academy courses Course certificatePractical assessment: Knowledge quiz, unproctored or open book (1 of 4)Identity assurance: No identity check (0 of 4)Depth: Foundational (1 of 4)Experience expected: None (0 of 4)Portability: Mixed (2 of 4)–
OpenAI Academy badge Course certificatePractical assessment: Knowledge quiz, unproctored or open book (1 of 4)Identity assurance: No identity check (0 of 4)Depth: Foundational (1 of 4)Experience expected: None (0 of 4)Portability: Mostly vendor-specific (1 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
OpenAI Certification Announced ––Depth: Foundational (1 of 4)–––
LangChain Certified Agent Engineer Practical assessment: Includes interactive, code or case-study items (3 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)Experience expected: Under 6 months (1 of 4)Portability: Mostly vendor-specific (1 of 4)–
Hugging Face Agents Course Course certificatePractical assessment: Knowledge quiz, unproctored or open book (1 of 4)Identity assurance: No identity check (0 of 4)Depth: Foundational (1 of 4)Experience expected: None (0 of 4)Portability: Mostly transferable (3 of 4)Verifiability: Certificate with an ID (2 of 4)
Data and AI platforms
Databricks GenAI Engineer Associate Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)Experience expected: Under 6 months (1 of 4)Portability: Mixed (2 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Databricks Context Engineer Associate Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)Experience expected: Under 6 months (1 of 4)Portability: Mixed (2 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Databricks ML Associate Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)Experience expected: Under 6 months (1 of 4)Portability: Mixed (2 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Databricks ML Professional Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Professional (3 of 4)Experience expected: About 1 year (2 of 4)Portability: Mixed (2 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
NVIDIA GenAI LLMs Associate Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)Experience expected: None (0 of 4)Portability: Mostly transferable (3 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
NVIDIA GenAI Multimodal Associate Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)Experience expected: None (0 of 4)Portability: Mostly transferable (3 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
NVIDIA Agentic AI Professional Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Professional (3 of 4)Experience expected: About 1 year (2 of 4)Portability: Mostly transferable (3 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
NVIDIA GenAI LLMs Professional Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Professional (3 of 4)Experience expected: 2 to 3 years (3 of 4)Portability: Mostly transferable (3 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Oracle OCI GenAI Professional Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)–Depth: Professional (3 of 4)Experience expected: Under 6 months (1 of 4)Portability: Mostly vendor-specific (1 of 4)Verifiability: Certificate with an ID (2 of 4)
Oracle OCI AI Foundations Practical assessment: Knowledge quiz, unproctored or open book (1 of 4)–Depth: Foundational (1 of 4)Experience expected: None (0 of 4)Portability: Mixed (2 of 4)Verifiability: Certificate with an ID (2 of 4)
Oracle Agentic AI Foundations Practical assessment: Knowledge quiz, unproctored or open book (1 of 4)–Depth: Foundational (1 of 4)Experience expected: None (0 of 4)Portability: Mostly transferable (3 of 4)Verifiability: Certificate with an ID (2 of 4)
Salesforce Agentforce Specialist Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)Experience expected: About 1 year (2 of 4)Portability: Mostly vendor-specific (1 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Salesforce AI Associate Retired –Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Foundational (1 of 4)–––
IBM watsonx GenAI Engineer Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)Experience expected: Under 6 months (1 of 4)Portability: Mixed (2 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
IBM watsonx Orchestrate Engineer Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)Experience expected: Under 6 months (1 of 4)Portability: Mostly vendor-specific (1 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
SnowPro Specialty: Gen AI Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Professional (3 of 4)Experience expected: About 1 year (2 of 4)Portability: Mostly vendor-specific (1 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Vendor-neutral
CompTIA SecAI+ Practical assessment: Includes interactive, code or case-study items (3 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Professional (3 of 4)Experience expected: 2 to 3 years (3 of 4)Portability: Vendor-neutral (4 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
CompTIA DataAI Practical assessment: Includes interactive, code or case-study items (3 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Specialty or expert (4 of 4)Experience expected: 5 years or more (4 of 4)Portability: Vendor-neutral (4 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
CompTIA AI Essentials Course certificatePractical assessment: Knowledge quiz, unproctored or open book (1 of 4)Identity assurance: No identity check (0 of 4)Depth: Foundational (1 of 4)Experience expected: None (0 of 4)Portability: Vendor-neutral (4 of 4)Verifiability: Certificate with an ID (2 of 4)
Model Context Protocol Associate Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)Experience expected: Under 6 months (1 of 4)Portability: Mostly transferable (3 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
PyTorch Certified Associate Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)Experience expected: Under 6 months (1 of 4)Portability: Mixed (2 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
IAPP AIGP Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Professional (3 of 4)–Portability: Vendor-neutral (4 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
ISACA AAIA Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Specialty or expert (4 of 4)Experience expected: 5 years or more (4 of 4)Portability: Vendor-neutral (4 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
ISACA AAISM Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Specialty or expert (4 of 4)Experience expected: 5 years or more (4 of 4)Portability: Vendor-neutral (4 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
ISACA AAIR Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Specialty or expert (4 of 4)Experience expected: 5 years or more (4 of 4)Portability: Vendor-neutral (4 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
PMI-CPMAI Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Professional (3 of 4)Experience expected: None (0 of 4)Portability: Vendor-neutral (4 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
CertNexus CAIP Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored with identity verification (4 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)–Portability: Vendor-neutral (4 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
ISTQB CT-GenAI Practical assessment: Scenario-based multiple choice (2 of 4)Identity assurance: Proctored, arrangements vary by provider (3 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)Experience expected: Under 6 months (1 of 4)Portability: Vendor-neutral (4 of 4)–
Course certificates
Deep Learning Specialization Course certificatePractical assessment: Knowledge quiz, unproctored or open book (1 of 4)Identity assurance: No identity check (0 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)Experience expected: Under 6 months (1 of 4)Portability: Vendor-neutral (4 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
IBM AI Engineering Certificate Course certificatePractical assessment: Knowledge quiz, unproctored or open book (1 of 4)Identity assurance: No identity check (0 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)Experience expected: Under 6 months (1 of 4)Portability: Mostly transferable (3 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
Stanford AI Professional Program Course certificatePractical assessment: Knowledge quiz, unproctored or open book (1 of 4)Identity assurance: No identity check (0 of 4)Depth: Professional (3 of 4)Experience expected: About 1 year (2 of 4)Portability: Vendor-neutral (4 of 4)Verifiability: Public badge or registry (4 of 4)
MIT ML and AI Professional Certificate Course certificatePractical assessment: Completion or attendance only (0 of 4)Identity assurance: Minimal or undocumented checks (1 of 4)Depth: Professional (3 of 4)Experience expected: 2 to 3 years (3 of 4)Portability: Vendor-neutral (4 of 4)Verifiability: Certificate with an ID (2 of 4)
Udacity Agentic AI Nanodegree Course certificatePractical assessment: Performance-based labs or a practical build (4 of 4)Identity assurance: No identity check (0 of 4)Depth: Associate (2 of 4)Experience expected: Under 6 months (1 of 4)Portability: Mostly transferable (3 of 4)Verifiability: Certificate with an ID (2 of 4)
  • None (0 of 4) None
  • Low (1 of 4) Low
  • Moderate (2 of 4) Moderate
  • High (3 of 4) High
  • Very high (4 of 4) Very high
  • Not rated
Practical assessment
How far the assessment makes the candidate do the work rather than recall it.
Identity assurance
How confident you can be that the named person did the assessment themselves.
Depth
The level the credential is pitched at.
Experience expected
How much prior experience the provider recommends or requires.
Portability
How well the knowledge transfers beyond one vendor’s products.
Verifiability
How easily an employer can confirm the credential is real and current.

Common misreadings

Same name, different exam

Azure AI Fundamentals, the AWS ML Engineer Associate and the Databricks GenAI Engineer Associate all changed substantially in 2026 without changing their titles.

Names that overstate

The Google AI Professional Certificate is about eight hours of beginner content. The Azure AI Cloud Developer exam is mostly cloud back-end development.

Retired, but still valid

The AWS ML Specialty, AI-102 and DP-100 can no longer be earned. Existing holders keep them until they expire.

Too new to hold

Nobody holds the Google Professional Agentic Architect yet, and the OpenAI Certification has no public exam.

Restricted access

The Claude Certified exams are open only to staff of Claude Partner Network organisations, so they also indicate where someone has worked.

Renewal is lighter than the exam

Microsoft role-based certifications renew each year through a free, unproctored, open-book assessment. A long-held credential may rest on one proctored sitting.

Using a certification in hiring

Treat a certification as a reason to ask better questions, not as a substitute for them. Nearly every exam here is multiple choice, including those at professional level.

  • Ask the candidate to share the live badge or transcript link, and check the dates.
  • Ask what they built while preparing. A good answer names specific decisions and trade-offs.
  • Pair a knowledge-based certification with a practical exercise or a walk through their own code.
  • Give extra weight to hands-on credentials, and check how identity was verified.

Read more on certificates and certifications or see how the ratings are produced.